Housing
Homeless outreach teams connect unhoused to resources ahead of encampment removals
When homeless outreach workers and social service providers, led by HELP of Southern Nevada, posted up at the base of an encampment just outside the tunnels near the New Orleans hotel one late August morning, they weren’t certain how many people reside in the encampment, or how many of them would seek HELP’s help. But […]
Nevada just outlawed a predatory title scheme, but not before 800+ homeowners fell for it
It works like this: Someone thinking about selling their home heads to the internet to look for some info. They see an advertisement offering a free market analysis — actually, it’s better than free, because this company is offering to pay the homeowner now, a show of how seriously they want to build a relationship […]
Motels converted to house families at capacity, new homeless intake center expected to hit limit
Clark County officials estimate nearly 400 families have been diverted from the child welfare system since 2021 when they began housing families experiencing homelessness in motels converted into shelter. Brenda Barnes, a senior management analyst with the Clark County Department of Families Services, told commissioners on Tuesday that while a common reason families enter into […]
Annual count finds sharp spikes in Southern Nevada homelessness rates
Data released Thursday showed Southern Nevada’s rates of homelessness spiked to alarming levels – the largest amount counted in a decade – underscoring the state’s homeless and housing crisis. The 2023 Point-in-Time Count, an annual snapshot of homelessness on one particular night, counted 6,566 people, a 16% increase from 2022 when 5,645 unhoused people were […]
Commissioner says county should rehab more motels for homeless intake, not build a mega campus
In the years Leonard Martinez spent living on the streets in Southern Nevada, he has never tried staying at one of the homeless shelters. For the last couple years, he has opted to stay by himself in a homeless encampment near Summerlin. Until recently, the 61-year-old, who has struggled with panic attacks throughout his life […]
Nevada Legal Services offering tenant help Wednesdays at NLV Justice Court
As the numbers of evictions have increased throughout Southern Nevada, Nevada Legal Services has started offering free assistance to tenants inside the North Las Vegas Justice Court. Lawyers from Nevada Legal Services, which assists low-income residents on a variety of legal matters, are scheduled to be at the court Wednesday mornings to help tenants fill […]
Some states protect Section 8 renters, but enforcement is elusive
Marcella Roberson is ready to move. She and her 17-year-old son have been looking for a new apartment for four years because, she says, they’ve suffered domestic violence in their current living situation in Camden, New Jersey. She hopes her federal housing voucher can bring them a new home and a chance at safety. But […]
New affordable housing units funded from ARPA dollars still at least 18 months away
The thousands of new affordable housing units Nevada is funding through the American Rescue Plan Act are still, at best, 18 months away from being available for rent, but developers say they are on track and working as fast as they can to help alleviate a housing crisis. Nevada in October awarded $250 million in […]
A day at North Las Vegas eviction court shows aftermath of eviction protections expiring
During Tuesday’s slate of eviction proceedings, North Las Vegas Judge Belinda T. Harris asked landlords the same two questions: How much does the tenant owe? Are they voluntarily accepting rental assistance? It’s been nearly two months since the expiration of a statewide protection pausing evictions if rental assistance applications were pending. Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo […]
Lack of funding, mental health resources hinder groups working with youth experiencing homelessness
Whether it’s an 18-month wait to get resources for youth with developmental disabilities or a lack of investment in homeless prevention services, groups working with youth experiencing homelessness say they face substantial barriers helping vulnerable children. Providers and nonprofits outlined some of their struggles when it comes to meeting the mental health needs of the […]
Rural Nevada seeks more foster parents amid shortage
Over the last 5 years, the total number of licensed foster homes in Nevada has decreased by 42%, from 2054 in 2018 to 1,184 in 2022, according to data from the Who Cares project which tracks the number of foster homes nationwide. But while the number of licensed foster homes has decreased dramatically, the number […]
Lombardo planned veto of bill to help families in sinking homes in North Las Vegas
A bill aimed at relocating predominantly Black families who have been living in sinking homes for decades almost suffered a quiet demise on Gov. Joe Lombardo’s desk, according to state Sen. Dina Neal, who sponsored and salvaged Senate Bill 450, a measure four years in the making. “He vetoed 75 bills and he was going […]